NEWS: On Campus

Indiana’s Top High School Math Students to Test Skills Saturday at Rose-Hulman Competition

November 7, 2011

Several of Indiana's brightest high school mathematics scholars
will test their problem-solving skills on Saturday, November 12, in
the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology High School Mathematics
Competition. Now in its 46th year, the event has grown into
one of the Midwest's largest academic contests with approximately
400 students from 20 high schools.

Figuring Things Out: A high school student concentrates on
solving one of the 20 problems during last year's Rose-Hulman
Mathematics Competition. This annual contest attracts
approximately 400 students from Indiana, Illinois and Iowa high
schools.

Past competition award winners have featured students recognized
as Indiana's "Mr./Miss Math" and "Mr./Miss Science," members of the
USA Today All-USA High School Academic Team and members of the U.S.
team in the International Mathematics Olympiad.

Students will have one hour, starting at 11 a.m., to complete 20
questions in a wide range of mathematics categories. Awards
will be presented at 1:30 p.m. in the Vonderschmitt Dining Room of
the Hulman Student Union.

Rose-Hulman's contest is unique because it tests the mathematics
skills of students in all four grade levels. Individual and
team honors are presented to freshmen, sophomores, juniors and
seniors. An overall team title is also presented.

Carmel High School has been the top school champion for the past
two year. Other top contenders will be Terre Haute South,
Iowa City West High School (Iowa), Hamilton Southeastern of
Indianapolis and Urbana High School of Illinois.

Other schools competing will include Castle, Champaign Central
(Illinois), Covenant Christian, Culver Academies, Evansville
Harrison, Fishers, Lafayette Harrison, Lutheran, Evansville's
Signature School, South Bend St. Joseph's, South Vermillion, Terre
Haute North, Warsaw, West Noble, West Vigo and Zionsville.
Students from Vigo County's Honey Creek Middle School will be
participating, but are ineligible for team honors.

Defending individual grade champions include Lyndon Ji of Carmel
and Shi-Ke Xue of Iowa City West, last year's junior class
champions; Madeline Snipes of Fishers, the sophomore champion from
a year ago; and Yushi Homma of Carmel and Mark Sellke of Lafayette
Harrison, the 2010 freshman co-titlists.

The top freshman male and female students will be honored with
book prizes provided in memory of Sally Shonk, a former Vigo County
(Terre Haute, Ind.) teacher. The top sophomore male and
female students will be honored with book prizes in memory of Mary
Rhein, a teacher who coordinated the contest in West Chester, Ohio,
for several years. The books are donated by Wiley and
Pearson/Addison Wesley publishes.

Rose-Hulman mathematics competition is organized by professor
John Rickert with assistance from assistant professor Leanne
Holder, department secretary Michelle Prather and department chair
Allen Broughton. Providing helping hands will be members of
the Pi Mu Epsilon mathematics honor society, Alpha Phi Omega
service fraternity, Math Club and other student volunteers.